


brother(s)

by opalstarunbecoming



Series: syrup is thicker than blood [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alexis | Quackity-centric, Angst, Au of sorts, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid Jschlatt, Hybrid Toby Smith | Tubbo, Jschlatt and Tubbo are siblings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, hybrid quackity, no beta we arent cowards here, ooc probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28007310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opalstarunbecoming/pseuds/opalstarunbecoming
Summary: Quackity was content with his life. Sure, he was homeless 95% of the time, and yeah, he was openly discriminated against for being a hybrid, but it was okay. With Schlatt and Tubbo, he knew it would be alright. Unfortunately, Quackity had to learn that the hard way that good things never last.An AU of sorts, where it's kinda like real life and kinda minecraft-y, I don't know how to explain it well lol. It's not at all like DSMP canon, just a heads up.Might continue, might not, if i ever finish writing the chapter lawl
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Jschlatt & Toby Smith | Tubbo, No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: syrup is thicker than blood [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2051301
Comments: 10
Kudos: 85





	brother(s)

**Author's Note:**

> hell yeah i wrote this in one day
> 
> also its 4 pages long, WAYY longer than i usually can
> 
> keep in mind, this is kind of an au. think real life, but with all the mobs and the nether and end (for now, might change it later if i continue lol). no respawns, you have one life so you better not waste it
> 
> tell me if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies or if anything's just plain weird! i haven't written this much ages, plus I'm pretty new to Ao3, so im probably majorly messing something up rn lol
> 
> enjoy :DD

Quackity ran. His arms ached from the weight of the small child in them, his lungs burned from inhaling the smoke, but he did not stop. He couldn’t, because he knew that if he did, he would turn around. 

_ “Run, and-and don’t stop…”  _

_ The man was interrupted by a cough, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. He weakly lifted a hand to wipe it away. Quackity started before the ram-hybrid could continue. _

_ “Schlatt, Schlatt please, I’m not going to leave you behind… We can’t, we-we need you!” The man was sitting against a faded brick wall, one arm covering the laceration on his stomach. His other arm was wrapped around an unconscious young boy, his little brother. Quackity was kneeling on the dirt ground next to them. The crackling fire raged behind as well as the distant shouting of the Nether hybrid gang Schlatt somehow pissed off echoed, reminding the teenager that their decision making time was limited. _

_ “And I…” The man, Schlatt, coughed again, and continued. “need you alive.” The pair weakly laughed. It was an inside joke of sorts, for other dire (but not nearly as dire as this) situations. Fire loomed over them, having overtaken the roof of the building, illuminating the trio below. Empty, unused box cars sat atop abandoned wooden rails, it’s new purpose to become fuel for the flames. _

_ Schlatt’s lighthearted gaze shifted into a serious one. “No m-matter what… stay alive. For me… for Tubbo… a-and for yourself,” _

_ The air was hot, far hotter than any of them were used to. Quackity felt like he was boiling, despite having taken his trademark track jacket off. He couldn’t stay here much longer, none of them could. A shaky breath leaving Schlatt shook him away from his thoughts. _

_ “Take… care of him, al-alright? He’s… yours, now… don’t fuck it up.” Schlatt gently pushed the child onto Quackity, before using his now free arm to support himself on the wall. Quackity shot up with him, cradling Tubbo in his arms. _

_ “W-what are you doing, Schlatt..?” The man elected to let the question hang in the air for a few moments, turning and limping towards the yelling and now heavy footsteps, which had been slowly increasing in volume as the gang got closer. _

_ “Distracting them.” Schlatt turned to him, for the last time. “Go. And don’t… ever turn back.” For a moment, they stared at each other, taking in each other’s ragged appearances. The ram hybrid cracked a smile. Quackity could see hints of fear in it, even if it was well hidden. An unspoken goodbye was exchanged between the two. _

_ In the end, Schlatt was the one to break the stare, turning around and continuing his hobble to what was surely his demise. Quackity followed suit, forcefully twisting himself around and breaking into a run. He held Tubbo tight in his arms. _

_ It took every bit of his willpower to not look back, to not take one last glance at the man he calls his brother. _

Quackity doesn’t know how far he’s run now. He’s long since escaped the fire and the gang (he’s pretty sure they were Blaze hybrids, now), and was well beyond the city limits. His running had slowed down considerably, having been a sprint back in the warzone of a train depot, down to a light jog in the unknown forest he found themselves in. At this point, the only reason he was still running was to distract himself from turning back, because God knows he wants to, so,  _ so  _ bad, but he couldn’t.

For one, going back was certainly a death sentence. Maybe if he was by himself, Quackity could make it, but with Tubbo? He’s a child, and an injured one at that. It would be damn near impossible. Besides, chances are, they’d be running into enemy territory just to find a corpse, because as much as the duck hybrid hated to admit it, Schlatt was probably dead. There’s nothing to return to. 

(A part of him died when he thought that.)

Not to mention, Quackity has to care for an eight-year-old now. He was already partially in charge of him, but that was when Schlatt was there. He had to step up, even if he knew he  _ definitely  _ wasn’t ready to. Is this how Schlatt felt when he ran away with Tubbo all those years ago? It was far too late to ask.

(For a moment, just a moment, he considers going back to the city and leaving him at a police station or something. Tubbo would be far better off if he wasn’t in the care of a broken, homeless teenager. He immediately pushes the idea out of his mind. After all, Schlatt trusted  _ him  _ with his brother, not the foster system.)

His pace subconsciously slowed to a walk as he examined Tubbo. He was injured, with scraped up elbows, and what Quackity assumed to be a concussion, origins of which are unknown, considering that he’s been out cold for at least an hour. Dried blood stained Tubbo’s light-colored hair. It might’ve been from the concussion or whatever it was, it might’ve been from when Schlatt was holding him, or maybe a mix of both. It was hard to tell exactly what he was looking at, so the teen figured it was time to sit down.

Surveying the land ahead of him for somewhere to rest, he spotted a large tree with a mossy undergrowth. He trudged over, gently lying Tubbo down on the forest floor and plopping down next to him. He draped the blue track jacket he had hung on his waist earlier over the boy, finally leaning back on the tree behind him. The cold started setting in, nipping at his exposed arms and head, so he curled his wings around him.

The peace only lasted for a few seconds before the trauma set in. Like a tidal wave, every repressed emotion that had built up over the course of the past few hours exploded in him. Anguish over his lost brother, fury that someone hurt his family, fear about taking care of Tubbo, every emotion fighting for dominance in his head. Unwanted tears flooded his vision as dozens of thoughts raced through his mind, each little thing jabbing a knife into his soul until it felt like there was nothing left of it.

It felt like the world was closing in on him. Invisible walls trapped him in a claustrophobic box, suffocating him. He wasn’t sure how long it had gone on, he only got his grip on time as the flurry of emotions was winding down, the walls retreating back to the hell they were conceived in.

The last of Quackity’s energy was stolen by the attack. The only thing he was left with was foreign hollowness and muted loss. Exhaustion overtook him, and he finally retired to a restless sleep.

* * *

Quackity didn’t get much sleep before he was woken up by a childish tug on his arm.

He yelped, flinching away, before realizing that it was just Tubbo. Innocent blue eyes stared up at him, Quackity’s jacket still wrapped up around him like a blanket. A bit of guilt seeped into him. Despite the little freak out he had, he smiled weakly, hoping it came off as reassuring.

“S-sorry, Tubs, what’s up?” He asked, shifting back into his original position. The boy climbed onto his lap, curling up on the teen’s chest. The older boy mentally ran through the list of things the younger could ask about, praying to all that was holy that it wouldn’t be-

“Where’s Schlatt?” Quackity’s smile faltered as he internally cringed. He knew it was coming, of course, but he still had no idea what to say. After all, how do you tell an eight year old that their older brother is probably dead?

He could just lie, and pretend the man’s alive and well, off prancing in a flower field somewhere. It was the easier option, by far. However, Tubbo wasn’t dumb. Even if he doesn’t call him out on his bullshit immediately, he’ll still know something’s up. If Tubbo found out he was lying, which he inevitably will, it would just destroy their relationship.

On the other hand, Quackity could just tell him the cold, hard truth. Probably the better option but… call him childish, but he wasn’t ready to accept his pseudo brother’s death yet. It was too early, and they hadn’t watched him die, but still...

Tubbo continued. “Is-is he okay?” Quackity, once again, didn’t respond, his smile having faded away. The child shook lightly, clinging to the jacket.  _ God, what could he say? _ The silent treatment was obviously distressing Tubbo, but it wasn’t like the impending news was any better. 

“Listen, Tubbo, I- Well, uh…” He stuttered, struggling to form a coherent answer. His emotional immunity was starting wear off, loss blossoming once again. The floodgates were most certainly about to burst.

Tubbo quiety uttered, “Is he… dead?”

Quackity’s breath caught in his throat. It felt as if the world around him had stopped dead in its tracks, like the air turned into stone. Slowly, robotically, he looked down at him. Tubbo sat curled up, still in his lap, head on his knees.

Well, at least he didn’t have to choose.

A whimper escaped the boy’s throat, and he started to shake,  _ hard. _ Quackity stared at him for a moment longer, still processing his revelation, before snapping out of it. He wrapped his arms around Tubbo, cradling him, and curled his wings around them, like a feathery cocoon.

The teen didn’t answer him, but he didn’t need to. The uncharacteristic silence and the lack of Schlatt was everything Tubbo needed to piece it together. A sob sounded from the younger, and Quackity finally broke down.

Together, they cried, for the loss of their brother. It was like a funeral, if only two people turned up and there was no body to bury.

Quackity tried to say something comforting, but the words just wouldn’t come out of his mouth correctly. They came out all blubbery and incoherent, so he just gave up. He’s sure Tubbo understood him, anyways.

The cries eventually subsided into nothing as exhaustion crawled into their eyes. Tubbo was the first to succumb, falling asleep on Quackity. The teen soon followed, the younger's rhythmic heartbeat lulling him to sleep, the stars twinkling at him.

He was, by no means, done mourning. He’s not sure he would ever truly accept his best friend’s,  _ his brother’s _ death. Despite everything, though…

_ The stars twinkled down at him. Schlatt sat by him on the hill, smiling at him. Tubbo was in his arms, fast asleep. He said something he couldn’t remember, and a younger Quackity laughed, grinning at him as he ran uphill towards the man. _

He had a feeling, deep down, that it would be alright in the end.

He shut his eyes, letting the stars watch him for tonight.

**Author's Note:**

> tell me how it was, or if you want me to continue it even!
> 
> again, sorry if anything was confusing, please ask if something is unclear to you.
> 
> thank you for reading! :))))))


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